north dakota trad shooters?

[nd chickenman]

I know there are some out there. Let's get a little more organized and have a get together at different places throughout the year. I am in Portland ND, we have excellent facilities here, both indoor and out. Any ideas?? Joel N (oh, almost forgot, I will bring the chicken for the barbie!!!)

[Jason Jelinek]

Jason here in Fargo.  We've got a number of traditional archers here at Sandhills Archers in West Fargo.  Plus a few more at Lake Agassiz Bowmen in Fargo.  Sandhills is planning on having a traditional 3D league on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm, starting next January.  I'm hoping there will be anywhere from 10 to 20 trad archers shooting.  Should be a lot of fun.

 www.sandhillsarchers.org

Jason

[Badlands]

This is Brad in Dickinson.  We have a few trad guys and gals here and a few more playing around with it.  I know quite a few more across the state.  Williston has a bunch of them and then there is Finley and his crew up in DL.

I too have been thinking about a ND trad shoot.  Years ago Williston held them at thier range. It was a pay one price and shoot until you got tired of the misquitoes type of thing. Just a fun shoot, no scoring, just the way they ot to be.
Yester day I sent an email to Scott Rehak to see if they are still doing it or if they might try it again.

I was thinking about having something at our range here in Dickinson or something out in the badlands.  But that would be a long drive for some of you.  
I might be able to get our club to let me use a bunch of 3Ds, but I don't know what it would cost.  
Years ago there was a bunch of us that met at the down river campground below the dam at Pick City and had a long bow shoot.  It was very casualy organized and had a lot of home made targets and other games.  Didn't realy cost us a thing but was a lot of fun.

The other day I talked to a guy from Lemmon SD that makes arrow shafts. He said they have a group in SD that has a shoot every year and it rotates around the state.  That might be something to think about.

Brad (Badlands) Davis

[NDTerminator]

Jon Barnett from Devils Lake here.  Pretty much the only other Trad guy other than me up in the Lake Region is Tim Finley (and his son) who builds Kota Bows.  I'm having him build me one of his Prairie Swifts...

Count me in for a Trad Gathering somewhere in state...

[nd chickenman]

I will keep in touch with you guys and plan something for those that want to come and shoot here  at the Portland range ( da Norseman archers, ya know!!) We have set up planned for the 3rd week of April, so I am thinking some time in May before the skeets hatch. JN

[Taiga Recurve]

Sounds like a great idea, like Jason said there are a quite a few of us trad guys here in Fargo. It would be nice to get a traditional shoot set up.

[Jason Jelinek]

Isn't there a guy in Dickinson that does flint knapping?  I met him at a Medora 3D shoot.  It might be fun to get some other activities going like knapping, string making, arrow building, bow building, etc.  They're doing something similar in MN with Chad Holm rounding it up.

Jason

[Badlands]

Jason
yup there is, his name is Joe Hicks. I'm sure that he would be interested and I'll get him in the loop.
I just had supper with Tim Finley and Damon last weekend at the NDBA banquet. Tim is down pig hunting right now, but I'd bet that he'd be up for anything.  
I make strings and take down recurves.  I don't know if I'd want to drag all of the things that it would take to make a bow along, but if anyone would want to try thier hand at a string, I have a couple cases of B-50 Dacron that I would be more than willing to share.

Chad was at the banquet too. I had sent him an email about this bow building get together that he has planned for the second weekend in June.  I got to meet him that night and talked to him for a while the next day.  He sure makes some nice looking bows.  Jason are you planning on going to his gathering??

[Jason Jelinek]

I would like to if it works out, with 3 kids at home, nothing is ever for sure.

I make all-wood bows, fiberglass laminated bows, strings, arrows, fletchings (stripping goose/turkey feathers), quivers, and tan hides.  I know a few others have made wooden and fiberglass bows with more tools than I (and trailers) at the club.  I'll kick it around at the next league night.

Jason

[Badlands]

ttt

[Rob Fin]

Hello from Manitoba. If you are having a shoot and want more shooters, let me know and I can post something at our local archery range. We usually have a pretty good tradidional group at the shoots around here. If its not too far into ND some of us may be inclined to drive down.

[Jason Jelinek]

We have a pretty good setup already for this in West Fargo at Sandhills Archery Club.  We already have at one location:
- outdoor 3D range with 3D targets nestled in trees
- shelters for demos/workshops (some have power)
- modern outdoor toilets
- playground for kids, practice range (4'x4' layered foam targets at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards)
- a pond with bass and sunfish for fishing (catch & release).  Fly fishing is pretty decent too.  We've setup a bison on one end and shot at from the other (over 100 yard shot).  We've also had canoe shoots (one guy paddles and the other shoot at targets around the pond.
- Elevated stand with a broadhead pit.
- NFAA Field course
- Indoor range that will allow up to 30 yard shots at layered foam backstop, lounge, kitchen and toilets.
- Shopping (West Acres, the largest Scheels, Sportsman's Warehouse, Gander Mountain)
- Hotels and restaurants.
- Over 20 traditional archers in the F-M area that I can name (probably more out there I don't know).

Its quite a ways from Dickinson/Williston/Minot, not as scenic as the badlands, but not too far from Winnipeg/Grand Forks/Devils Lake and right next to Minnesota (might be able to pull a few in from MPLS/StPaul area).

I'll be working with the Sandhills board to get this going (I'm a board member and webmaster) if there is interest in West Fargo.

Jason Jelinek
[email protected]

[Badlands]

I'm game for just about anything. If you guys want to get the ball rolling, and the timing is right, I'll be there and bring as many others along as I can.
Jason, are you talking about the range by Kindred?

[Jason Jelinek]

Brad,

The Sandhills Archery club is in West Fargo (we just got annexed in the last 2 years).  We are located NW of the Red River Valley Fairgrounds North of I94 and main.

I'll try to get some kind of date/schedule of events sketched out and add it to this thread.  Let me know if Joe Hicks is interested in giving a flint knapping demo/workshop.  If anyone else has a skill they want to share let me know and we can add it in.

If someone wants to have this located centrally in the state, I'll back off and help with whatever I can.

Jason

[BillW]

A friend of mine and I are going to hunt Mulies in the Grassy Butte area, September of this year (got drawn for my tag). I am very excited. Fred Bear hunted this area in his video "Badlands Bucks" so kinda neat that way as well. I am looking forward to hunting ND. Any of you near Grassy Butte?

Bill

[NDTerminator]

I'm in the north central part of the state, but have hunted the Badlands west of Grassy Butte many times. Planning on wandering out there in September, myself.

In my younger days (before cell phones, GPS's, and when few people outside of ND knew about the Badlands), I would park my truck, shoot a compass bearing, shoulder my pack & bow, and take off into the Breaks.  Lived on Salted Nut Rolls, Jerky, and cleaned up & cooled off in stock tanks.  Would just crawl under a cedar and sleep wherever I ended up at night.   Never see another person for a week. To say those days were grand doesn't do it justice.

The Badlands is my favorite wild place of all that I've seen in my lifetime.  You'll have a ball.  First thing you do when you get out there is take your watch off, forget about time, and slow down...

[Badlands]

Bill
I live in Dickinson, about 50 miles SE of Grassy Butte.  
When the time gets close, drop me a line if you need any arrangements made localy, I'd be glad to help.

Brad

[BillW]

Thanks Brad, Will do. I am really loking forward to hunting Mule deer. It will be my first time.

Good Luck to you guys getting a Trad shoot together. I belong to an archery club in Wi. We are lucky to have a bunch of clubs in the area. Almost all have a trad shoot each year.

Bill

[Haf2hunt]

Hey I'm in Grand Forks and would love to get together whenever and wherever you guys want.  I'm kinda new to trad but always love to meet others.  Keep in touch.

[Badlands]

ttt